A Father's Love Never Dies
by Jerathai
Summary: Even though Eytukan lives in Eywa now, he still watches over his beloved daughter. Have the kleenex handy for this one!


Ma'ite, my beloved daughter, I See you.

How much better I See you now, with Eywa's eyes! I so wish that I had Seen you this way before, while I was with you. I would have respected you more. I would have done things differently. But that was not Eywa's plan.

I grieve that I did not trust you more, my beautiful Neytiri. We all knew from the time that you were young that you were tsahik. When you asked your mother about the whispers you heard in the wind, even before your queue first opened, we knew. I should have remembered that more often. I should have realized that what I saw as youthful rebellion had much deeper roots. The greatest lesson I have learned since I joined Eywa is that our ignorance and blindness is very often her greatest tool for accomplishing what is good for the world.

You knew, if not in your mind, that you were not meant for Tsu'tey. Eywa tells me that she had whispered it to your heart long ago. What your mother and I saw as rebellion against the traditions of the People was simply your reaction to more knowledge than she and I had. The entire purpose of Tsu'tey's life, the reason Eywa made him the best warrior of his generation, was so that he would buy your Jake those few extra, precious seconds of time that enabled him to destroy the flying machine that would have killed the Tree of Souls. Eywa never intended him to be your mate.

That place was Jake's, from the very beginning. My beloved daughter, it was no coincidence that you were the first Na'vi who saw him. No coincidence that it was in your presence that the atokirina came to him. How amazing Eywa is, how long her reach! I never imagined that she could reach so far across the stars!

I wish I could apologize to your Jake, my Neytiri. I am glad that Eywa let me See enough of him, for enough time, that I welcomed him into the clan. She tells me that that was the last of the tasks that She had set for me. I am glad that I did it. Your Jake is a man to make any father proud. I am proud of him. He will be a great Olo'eyctan for the people. More important to me, he will make you happy. He already has. That is all a father can ask.

I will enjoy watching the two of you raise a family together. They are here with me now, my grandchildren, and already I love them dearly. I tell them stories of you and your sister. I will laugh greatly when they pull some of the pranks on you that you and Sylwanin used to pull on me and your mother!

Ah, my Neytiri, your mother loves you so. I grieve that we must be apart for a time, but Eywa has much for her to do yet before she joins me. I am grateful to your Jake for passing my message to her. It relieves my heart to know how much joy she will find in our grandchildren. She has much yet to teach you. I watch over her as I watch over you. I am excited for the Omaticaya to find the new Tree of Voices; she will hear me laughing as I play with our grandchildren. I look forward to seeing her joy when they run into her arms instead of mine. It will make my waiting easier.

Ma'ite, I am so proud of you. I wish I had told you that more often. Your heart is as strong as your Jake's is. It gives me such joy to see you stand so tall and strong, to watch you fight for what is good in the world. The People will need your strength, one day. I promise that I will visit you in your dreams, and whisper to you how proud I am of you.

Eywa loves you greatly, my daughter; I wish you could know how greatly! I think you will, one day. You hear Her well, even better than you know. She does not tell me everything, but this she has said: that She will never leave you.

I cannot See all that will come, my Neytiri. There will be joy and there will be pain; that is simply the way of things. Whatever challenges you, I know you will find yourself equal to it. Eywa stands with you; with her at your side there is nothing that can defeat you.

And I will always be watching you. I will always be with you.

Oel ngati kameie, ma'ite


End file.
